Sherk to be ringside

It's not unusual when a fighter attends a big match and gets a seat at ringside, hoping to land a fight with the winner of the main event.

It is unusual, however, when that fighter is from a different sport.

But such will be the case Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden when mixed martial artist Sean Sherk, the UFC's lightweight champion, will be ringside to watch Mayweather try to lift the super welterweight boxing title from De La Hoya.

Mayweather has recently made a number of critical comments about the UFC and MMA. UFC president Dana White, who along with owner Lorenzo Fertitta will also be ringside, has agreed to make it worthwhile for Mayweather to prove his point if he gets past De La Hoya.

The lightweight division in MMA has a 155-pound limit, while the super welterweight division in boxing has a 154-pound limit.

White has been irritated by Mayweather's putdowns of MMA and has decided to challenge Mayweather to back his words.

"If Floyd is serious and he seriously wants to do this and he's not shooting his mouth off, I'll make him an offer that is definitely worth his while," White said. "I don't think he'd last three minutes with Sherk. He'd be beaten in three minutes, and pretty likely in under a minute, and it would probably be by stoppage or tap-out."

Fertitta, who was once a member of the Nevada Athletic Commission, said, "Floyd knows he'd get his ass kicked."